The Russellville Democrat., 1887-02-09
ARKANSAS LEGISLATURES.
SATURDAY, Jar eA

sENAfE-The rapSd development 81 IN,
state OF Arbanrsss has turned the attent;ny
~ tne shfewdest Of its citizens and law.
S'ekers TO the question OF its state debt
~ Iact, the state has no deb. except its
ooh1eu ophgatlops, winch amount to a
'otal ol ahaet Sl4,000,O0o. From this
shopM BE subtracted the disputed nort;on ap
pr That part which the people voted to h.
Illegal unjust and forever debarred from
payment This portion OF the debt consists !
oi Memphis and Little Rock Railroad bonds
So,3oO, 600; levee bonds, SO. 600. 600; Hol.
lord 6s, S1,200,00O total 81. 5b0 00n
Therefore the total indebtness III the state
principal and interest is only SIS. / O3. .5ea
y is claimed that the back tax resources
,he sums due the State by the General Gov.
ernment, the State land sales etc, within
sa sne next threo or four years will put the
State out OF debt.
Hon. w. +. Hicss, OF Lonoke. baa intro.
dnced in the House a bill which provides
that whenever there shall be n the State
treasury any cum not less than 500. 600.
SUBJECT 70 be used in the payment OF the
"wtstanding undisputed bonded indebted.
ness oil the State, the State Debt Board. as
set forth in section / OF this act shall ad YER
fIse FOR proposals for the sale OF thu bonds
OF the State and coupons thereto attached
In such advertisements the board shall
state the fIme within which bids, offers or
propositions to sell, shall be received.
which time shall not be less than fonr
months from the first insertion OF such ad.
yertlsement, that the purchase OF any such
bonds and coupons viii be made from the
owner Or legal holders thereof, Offering or
proposing to cell ut the lowest rate per.
centum or price therefor.
Hon. w. III. Hall. Burton, OF Arkansas
has also gone dee ply into the financial is
sues, and it is said his measures have the
Endorsement OF the State officials. His
funding system embraces three measures,
all OF which are now before House commit
tees. One bill proposes to repeal the dona.
tlon laws, and raise the price Of State
lands from fifty cents per acre to 81 so per
acre, payable in overdue coupons. and ap.
ply the receipts on the State debt. When
II is known that during the past two years
the state has sold more than SOC. 900
acres OF land, II can readily be seen that
the revenue from this source alone will be
very large.
The second bill proposes an adjustment
OF the accounts between the State and the
United States from which it is claimed the
state would realize enough to set off the
bonds OF the State held by the general Gov.
ernment for a portion OF the percent
fund under the act OF Congress approved
June 70, 1896, amounting to $3.50, 600
also for her portion under the distribution
act OF 1S41, about S5, 600; also for recla
nation Tor swamp and oyerfowed lands
accruing to the State under the Congress
sional grant OF 1885, also for other lands
amounting TO hundreds OF thousands OF
dollars, as shown by the field notes and
plats OF the Federal surveys.
The third measure makes future pfpvis-
ion Tor the interest on the principal OF the
bonds, Bnd names a two mill tax to meet
It, one-half payable In overdue coupons
This will also make fund to take care OF
the principal and interest up to date.
1t is said that the State. in spite ofevery-
thing, win be out OF debt in six years at the
longest time.
In \ the Senate bill for an act
to prohibit the catching and killing OF &C ne
during certain seasons OF the year was
taken up and read third time
Mr.. Byran spoke in opposition to the
bill and hoped that the Senate would not
undertake to tamper with the game law
He was in favor OF an amendment to pro.
hibit foreigners from killing and shipping
game from the State for speculative pur
poses.
On motion OF Senator Baxter the bin was
rscommitted to special committee OF
consideration.
HousE.-Co OF a sensation was
created in the House this afternoon. com
ing up III the shape OF test OF popularity
between Speaker Hewitt and Hon. r. r.
Hudgins, OF Boone County. Hudgins is th<
man who made tho rstte for Speaker against
Hewitt and was beaten. The people look
on the scene to-day as an evidence Of piqus
on the part Of Mr.. Hudgins. Speaker Hewitt
came down out OF the chair and introduced
a resolution looking to tho. expedition o
the business OF the House by having
the Clerk assort the bills coming from
the committees, making first class
OF bills, those reported favorably by
the committees; Il second class oil
those amended or substituted, and u third
class OF those reported adversely. He
stated it was evident that without this
classification a heap OF bills would soon
be piled up that it would be impossible to
go through in sixty days and he made
very strong appeal in behalf OF speedy leg
islation. He thought that if the reports o
committees were to be treated SO lightly il
would be better to abolish them and con
slider every measure before the House en-
tire. So far as he was concerned, he was
always willing TO abide the decision OF the
committees, and il they killed his bill he
would not murmur.
Mr. Hudgins spoke at length against tho
resolution referring to the question OF con
solidating the elections, and seemingly en-
deavoring to array the House into frac
tions.
The matter was debated several hours
and the resolution was finally adopted
unanimously, except that Hudgins voted
in the negative.